In the Air Tonight
by Aachi
Summary: Dark Link is somehow granted a physical form and has his first conversation with the Hero of Time.


When I woke up yesterday this idea was in my head. I'd been working out how I would write it all day and finally put it all down. This story is kinda like a songfic. But not really. I took extreme artistic liberties writing the lyrics into the story instead of just writing the stanzas in between story.

The song that I wrote into the story and also what Dark plays on his ocarina is 'In the Air Tonight' by Phil Collins. You all know this song. It's been around forever and is in tons of movies, tv shows, commercials. But if you need a refresher you can check out the lyrics and a concert video of it at lyrics. com

I meant for this story to be very ambiguous. It can be seen as friendship, possible darkxlink shounen-ai or just a guy talking to himself lol

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_I can feel it coming in the air tonight._

_He's noticed. I know it. He should have been sent back to the past by now. To grow up the way he never got a chance to, but I can still feel him in this world. He's noticed his shadow suddenly stopped following him after he defeated Ganondorf. Maybe I should have just stayed with him until he was sent away? Then he would never know the truth._

_But is it so wrong to want to go back to the only place I was ever recognized as more than a mere shadow, before I fade into the darkness that I come from forever? Without the hero's presence in this time, I will undoubtedly fade away. I can feel it. I know I will. But I cannot follow him into the past, because there, he and I were one in the same._

The shadowy figure sat cross-legged in the middle of the seal for the Water Temple. In the dead of night and hidden in the moonlit shadow from the looming tree in the middle of the island, he easily blended into the darkness with his black clothing and hair. The only thing that allowed him to be seen in the shadows was his pale ethereal skin.

The figure pulled out a dark instrument from his tunic, a shadow's counterpart to the powerful Ocarina of Time, closed his red eyes and began to play a song only he knew the notes to. As he played, the unearthly sounds seemed to tell a song of his dilemma. One of a man who was born from the darkness of a hero's heart so that said hero could wield the sacred blade of the Master Sword.

_If the Goddesses had to separate Link's darkness from him so that he would be pure of heart, why did they curse me with consciousness? It would be much more kind if they merely separated me from him then destroyed me. Why did they think it would be a good idea to bind me to him as his shadow?_

The man's brow knit together as he tried to figure out the deities reasoning. He just couldn't make sense of it. He didn't think it was particularly fair to be given life and then made to follow a hero through his journey's, unable to interact with him. Talk to him. The person who was the sole reason he lived.

The only time that was changed was in the Room of Illusions in the Water Temple beneath his feet. He didn't know why but as soon as the Hero walked in that room and the Shadow followed, he could feel that he could take on a physical form.

He supposed it made sense. What better place for a shadow to have substance than a room that had magical properties? That went on forever but ended at the door?

But what did he do with his new-found physical body? He attacked the Hero. In hindsight he realized that was incredibly irrational and wasn't a very smart thing to do. But at the time, his pent up frustration and anguish at being nothing more than a shadow had suddenly snapped the moment he was given a chance to inflict damage on real things.

But what did he choose to lash out at? None other than the hero himself of course.

He couldn't help it. The man was right there! Sword and shield in hand. What better way to vent than fight with the person who was the purpose of your life and consequently your despair? He knew that Link hadn't consciously split himself in two. That was the Goddesses doing. But, well, the Goddesses weren't there for him to attack at the time. Only the Hero.

He realized after he'd been defeated and once more bound to the Hero as his shadow, that that probably wasn't the best way to make his existence known to his other half. His one chance to make himself known and he made it look like he was just another monster. That was stupid.

But that brought up thoughts of now.

_Why is it that I felt I could suddenly take my own form when Link defeated Ganon? I don't understand. Maybe this is the Goddesses way of consoling me before I fade. To finally let me do as I please if only for a small time._

_Truth be told, if I did as I pleased I would try another attempt at a first impression with the Hero. However, I would rather pass up being beaten into the ground before he leaves this world and leaves me to disappear. That was so stupid! My only chance to talk to him in the Room of Illusions and I let my anger and frustration take over. _

_Great going. I'm a complete idiot. But then again I am his darkness. I suppose it's not all that surprising that I would lash out violently at the first chance I got._

He continued to play the ocarina of shadow as a green clad figure riding a caramel colored horse appeared in the field across the lake.

He didn't even need to open his eyes. He knew he was there. He could feel his presence.

He didn't know what brought him here. Perhaps he thought that his shadow had taken form to cause havoc like he did the only other time and had come to stop him. It didn't really surprise the Shadow much to find that the Hero had come right to him. He supposed that he could feel where his darkness was in the same way the Shadow could feel the light one.

He continued to play the melody, wishing that he could just fade already and be done with it. What reason was there for him to get his ass kicked again before that?

_Just go back to the past already. I'm tired of watching you be everything I'm not._

He couldn't deny, even in his own mind, that he had hoped that maybe the Hero would choose to try to communicate with him over rushing into battle to slay the foe that was so clearly a child of darkness.

But when did that ever happen?

But to be able to talk with his light half... To interact with him in a manner other than losing a fight with him...

He continued to play the song even as the Hero slowly crossed the bridges getting closer to him. His sword drawn and cautious. As if he were deciding what to make of this person who had formerly attacked him sitting calmly playing an ocarina.

_Maybe he will talk to me instead of jumping right in to fight me? _

His chest tightened at the thought.

_I can't deny I've been waiting for that moment all my life. For him to acknowledge me. To speak with me._

As he continued to sit and play, giving no indication that he knew the blonde was there, he continued to reminisce of the life he had. Cursed to follow behind diligently yet never able to help or be known.

All the times Link was threatened. The times he was badly injured. The times he was near death. If the Hero died, so would he. And he was never able to do a damned thing about it but watch.

There was once a time when the blonde nearly drowned. Weighed down by the Iron Boots without wearing the Zora Tunic. It was a very stupid mistake. One that he never made again. But out of all of Link's near-death experiences, that was the hardest one for the Shadow to watch.

The threat of dying looming over him without a chance to fight back with his sword. Watching his face in pain as he ran out of air as he desperately tried to remove the heavy boots.

All he could do was watch him drown and he wasn't even able to help.

Of course the blonde overcame that event. It would have been a very pathetic death for the Hero of Time to end up drowning at the bottom of Lake Hylia. But that didn't stop the memories from haunting the Shadow.

The object of his thoughts finally reached the island he sat on. On guard, ready for him to drop his instrument and attack at any moment. He had a look of recognition on his face now that he was close enough to see his Shadow in the darkness.

The music from the shadow ocarina was interrupted, "I've seen you before." The Hero raised his shield up a little higher, preparing himself for a battle. "Your that one who fought me here in the Water Temple."

The Dark one lowered his instrument and opened his red eyes to look at the person who'd spoke to him. Who acknowledged him! A smirk found it's way onto his face.

Still sitting, he looked up at the man standing before him, "I am. However, I don't know if you realize just _who_ I am."

The Hero narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Are you not a monster? One who laid in wait for me in the Water Temple to prevent me from me completing my quests to awaken the sages?"

The Shadow flinched slightly. That stung. A monster? He shouldn't be so surprised that he would think so. It did appear that way at the time. But if he really thought that then what called him here?

Red eyes looked into blue with a serious expression, "If you truly believe that I am a mere monster with your face, then what brought you here? Surely it's because you noticed your shadow gone and felt my presence."

Link raised his sword to point at his shadow from where he stood a few feet away, "Just who are you?"

The Shadow half-smiled, "Who? Perhaps you believe I'm not actually a monster."

The blonde wasn't easily swayed, "The fact that you are having a conversation with me shows that you have more consciousness than a mere monster. But that doesn't give me any reason to trust you either."

The black haired man's smile broadened and he placed his ocarina of shadow back in his tunic. Continuing to smile he looked back into the Hero's eyes, "I'm you. At least I'm half of you."

The other tensed, "How so? How would that be possible? I don't believe you. Wouldn't I know if I were two people?"

His darkness stood to look at him at eye level and the blonde tensed more, ready for a battle he seemed convinced would occur, but red eyes just seemed to laugh at his paranoia.

"To become the wielder of the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane, you were put to sleep for seven years so that your body would grow into that of an adult. A strong body that Ganondorf's slayer would need. But only one pure of heart can use the sacred blade to its full extent, and while you slept, the Goddesses removed the darkness in your heart and with it created me, and bound me to you as your shadow."

The blonde's eyes widened and his stance became less tense but he didn't drop it.

"I am nothing more than the darkness born from a child's heart. Though why the Goddesses saw fit to give me a consciousness instead of just destroying me, I don't know. You would have to ask them."

The Hero tensed again, "so you're saying you're the evil part of me?"

Red eyes became somewhat angry, "Did I ever say I was evil? I am merely the darkness. I only have as much potential of being evil as a normal person." He looked away scowling. "You, however, don't even have the potential for evil, because it is now embodied in me. However, darkness can always grow and come back. You could once again have darkness in your soul one day. But currently I have all of it that you've ever had."

Blue eyes still looked skeptically at him, "If I am truly your other half, then why did you attack me before? I saw the anger and rage in your face then."

His shadow looked back at him, a smirk once again on his face, "I was just contemplating that myself before you arrived. The only thing I can think of is that it was the child's darkness and pent up frustration from never having a physical form before and never being acknowledged. That when the magic of that room gave me a body the only thing I was capable of was to lash out."

A broad grin appeared on the hero's face, "So what you're saying is that it was basically a temper tantrum fit for the child I was before I slept for seven years?"

Red eyes stared and blinked for a moment before a matching grin appeared on the Shadow's face, "Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

He suddenly dropped his battle ready stance but kept the sword and shield in his hands as confusion crept back into blue eyes, "So what you're saying is that you've been there as my shadow this entire time and the only time you had a physical presence was in the Room of Illusions?" He looked contemplative for a moment and added, "And right now obviously."

Black hair swayed with a nod, "yes, that's right. Though I have no idea why." He looked out toward the water sadly. "I'm not going to question my good fortune though. To finally hold a conversation with my other half before I fade is all I could have asked for."

The blonde put his shield away but still ever the cautious one, kept his sword in hand, "What do you mean 'fade'?"

Red eyes looked back, "When you return to the past and once again become a child when the two of us shared the same body, in this time I will disappear without you here."

The grin that had still lingered on the Hero's face was suddenly gone.

"After all, you are the original, and I am your shadow. Shadows can't exist without that which they follow." He sighed and looked back toward the moonlit waters. "The only question is if I will disappear immediately or fade away slowly. I guess a lot of that would depend on if your time travel will automatically change this future or simply create a new alternate reality from the one that you actually grow up in."

The shadow shrugged much more nonchalantly than he felt, "The time paradoxes don't matter, I know the end result would be the same for me."

Ocean blue eyes stared down at the ground, "And who says that I'm going back to the past? I don't recall ever saying that I would do that."

The other regarded him coolly, "You never had to say anything like that aloud. I was there as your shadow when the Princess offered to return you. I am you. I know that you want your childhood. To go back to play with Saria and the others and try to forget this whole thing ever happened."

The blonde became upset. "Even if I did want that, how could I return now, knowing that if I do someone will die?"

_I should have never said anything. I should have realized this would be his reaction, he is me after all. Damn the fact I've never gotten the chance to talk to him before! Of course I would end up spilling my guts without thinking._ "I won't die in the same sense as a regular person, Link. I can only die if you do. I will merely cease to exist. I am your darkness." He added sadly, "I'm not a real person."

The Hero disagreed passionately, "From where I'm standing you look like a person! And I fail to see the difference between 'ceasing to exist' and 'dying'."

The Shadow smirked sarcastically, "Up until a few moments ago you thought I was merely a monster with your face. Now I'm suddenly a person just because I look like it? You're being very contradictory."

He cringed noticeably, "What I meant to say, is that... it is quite apparent to me now, that you are clearly a person."

He smiled kindly, "Its best for you not to worry about me. Go back to the past and grow up the way we should have. The way we will in your child's body. The person that has become me will fade in this time, but I will exist the way I was meant to, as part of you in another. That's enough for me."

The Hero looked his Shadow straight in the face and told him, "That's a lie."

His brow furrowed, "Excuse me? I ought to know what I want."

"Yes you should, and you know its not that." the blonde answered back. "If you are me, then I know what it is you want." He looked off into the distance of the moon on the horizon, "To live freely, just like every other person has the right to and takes for granted." Looking back he added, "You can say that you're okay with me continuing to live on in the past until you're blue in the face and I still wouldn't believe it. Because _I_ wouldn't be, but I also know that I would still tell someone that anyway so they wouldn't be burdened with my life in their hands."

He looked defiantly into red eyes, daring him to argue with him, "And knowing what I do, I'm staying here in this time, so the both of us can continue living."

Red eyes widened and he opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing came out. So he closed it again, continuing to look into the defiant eyes of his lighter self.

The green-clad warrior finally threw away the rest of his caution, put his sword back in its place on his back and sat down to look out at the moonlight reflecting in the water. "I figure there must be a reason why you have a physical form now that Ganon is dead. I believe the Goddesses want you to live your own life, and I'll be damned if I'm going to take that away from anyone," He smirked thoughtfully, "Especially from myself."

Not able to argue or think of anything else to say he sat down on the grass next to the other and once again pulled out the black ocarina and looked down at it contemplatively.

The silence was heavy as the two were both lost in their own deep thoughts. The dark one was about to play his song again to break the awkward silence when the light spoke.

"I remember when we met in that room quite clearly..." He trailed off thoughtfully, "well I suppose it would have been the first time I met you. What I gather from what you've told me, you've been stuck watching me this whole time."

Looking out at the water, black hair swung slowly with a small nod.

The silence came again, but this time it was much more comfortable. Companionable even.

Now that he wasn't faced with his inevitable end so near at hand, the Shadow had no idea what to do. He knew he couldn't argue with the other to go back in time to stay, and he knew he didn't want to even try to convince him. He suddenly had his own life now and was at a complete loss.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by the soft-spoken voice beside him.

"I know the reason why you haven't spoken a word since I said I would stay here, and I have to say I find myself in a similar situation." He started picking dirt off his boot idly, "I never really had a chance to think about what I would do after all this was over. I haven't got a clue what I should do with my life now that Ganondorf's been defeated."

He looked thoughtfully out of the corner of his eye at the Hero. "Whatever your plans are I hope you realize that with the decision to stay here, to keep me from fading away, you've already decided that I will be accompanying you wherever you go." He went back to looking into the night. "I already told you, a shadow needs the original in order to survive. You've practically bound yourself to me."

Link chuckled softly, "Yeah I know, but the way I figure, I've been bound to you since I stepped out of the Temple of Time. I just didn't know it. The only difference now is that you have a body and I have a friend."

The Shadow turned to look at him fully, examining his face for any signs of his inner thoughts. This wasn't something that he could know what the Hero was thinking from experiences they had as one being.

He knew without a doubt, the only true friend Link ever had most of his life was Saria, who was now a sage and therefore unreachable. Even now that he had many that he called friends, Link no longer had anyone that was very close to him.

And in his entire separate existence, the Shadow never had a friend at all. Or anyone to even talk to for that matter. Link at least had that fairy Navi all the time.

Suddenly realizing something amiss he turned to the blonde, "Where's Navi?"

There was a brief pained look on his face. "She took off after Zelda offered to send me back just as fast as you did. As if we were never friends and this whole time everything we did together was just her fulfilling her promises to the Great Deku Tree."

He did his best to keep his face neutral but his other half knew better of course. He didn't need to show his pain at what he thought was a good friend suddenly leaving him for the Shadow to know it was there.

His darker self put a hand on the Hero's shoulder and smiled kindly, "You don't ever have to worry about me leaving you Link. I wouldn't even if I were able to. Who would make a better understanding friend than yourself?"

The blonde turned to him smiling with genuine happiness he hadn't showed since he was a child and the two were one. "What do you call yourself?"

Red eyes looked suddenly surprised. He'd never really thought to call himself anything other than Link's darkness or his shadow.

He smiled again, "You can just call me Dark."

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Please review! :D Let me know what you think!


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